MEET THE REAL FIRE FROM CHICAGO...RUFUS SIMS, SPITTING SOME OF THE MOST HONEST BARS THAT YOU'LL EVER HEAR...

Rufus Sims is a highly seasoned ghetto griot from the West side of Chicago and widely recognised as one of the Windy City’s most prolific street spittas. His reality raps are laced with a keen sense of battle tested introspection and he’s been independently building momentum, deftly elevating through the ranks with his unique blend of hood politics and true school HipHop. We thought it time to track him down before he explodes all over this universe…

How’s things in the Windy City?

Things are looking up in Chicago, especially on the hiphop scene. A lot of the top talent in our lane have become such good friends that we’ve formed a brotherhood where we collab often, share opportunities, break bread with and support each other. And that type of behavior is new to Chicago.

How’s the rising boom bap scene? Who’s making waves? 

The boom bap scene in Chicago is one of the most vibrant scenes in North America right now. There are more than a handful of artists making waves right now. Some are myself, Chris Crack, Vic Spencer, Philmore Greene, Iam Gawd, Waterr, Ju Juilla, Panamera P, Heavy Crownz, Recochi, Freddie Oldsoul, Brittney Carter, Jae Haze, A.M. Early Morning, Joel Q, Kid Breeze, Reem, Fly Skins, Deem, Frsh Waters just to name a few lol.

You’re becoming one of the most prolific artists in hip hop, what motivates you? 

Being able to take better care of my family motivates me. The fact that my son is watching me get it out the mud without any handouts motivates me. My love for music motivates me. And since music is a form of therapy for me, I think telling my story helps me express the things that I otherwise would never say. Also, Constantly growing as an artist motivates me. And wanting to add to the genre and take it to new heights as far as sound and sonics motivates me. Garnering a dedicated fanbase as a hiphop artist in these current times, motivates me as well.

Your lyrics are laced with home truths about life on the street, ambition and change, what was it like growing up as young Rufus growing up as the son of Rufus ‘Weasel’ Sims. 

For most of my life, my pops was incarcerated. Growing up as my pops son,  I was proud that so many people including powerful men looked up to him. It made me want to be just like someone I barely knew. I heard stories of the type of person he was. Most of these stories came from the streets. I think my want to be closer to him, pushed me towards the streets even more. On top of the fact that the streets embraced me more because I was his son. It made my name rise in the streets faster too! It took over my world and the man I became. Just his legacy did that.

Is the smell of prison still in your nostrils? 

Fresh like it was yesterday Lol.

Nah, it isn’t, but the experience still is. Certain things never leave you and to this day, the thought of that smell might keep me from taking all the same chances I used to take coming up. I so institutionalised that  I got used to The smell of prison. And every time I went back, that smell reminded me of how much of a fuck yo was. Each prison has its own unique smell. NRC, Cook County, etc. The smell of prison is means it’s time to accept your new reality and it’s a smell or feeling that I can never forget.

How difficult was it to choose a different path?

It’s still very difficult because I’m surrounded by the streets and they don’t understand the hiphop lane. I’m surrounded by people and family who are career street people. They think I looked like a better man when I was hustling opposed to juggling 9-5’s while pursuing a career in music. They still respect my gangster – no one can take that from me – but they think the music is taking too long and they don’t know how big the hiphop lane is and how big my buzz is in that lane. But I don’t have time to explain to old friends what I’m doing or how much I’ve grown. The judgement was difficult at first but the more I grow, the less fucks I give about anyone’s opinion who isn’t helping me grow. And the streets don’t really care what you do, so long as you have a lot of money. And they live on a what have done for me lately type vibe.  So yeah, it used to be hard. These days, I don’t give fuck!

Has fatherhood changed your outlook on life? 

Absolutely. Me growing up without my pops made me never want to leave my kids for any reason at all. And the times I went to jail I did exactly that. I’ve always been in my kids life 100 percent and I changed my life by leaving the streets for them. I had to mature to the point where I consider my kids with every decision I make. Everything I do is for them, then me. I’m trying to show my son that if you work hard and do the right thing and sacrifice the bullshit then you can win at anything.

Who were your early hip hop influences and who would you say are your contemporaries now? 

Early influences were Nas, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Biggie, Roc Marci, Grady, Nipsey, Master P on the hustle side, Twista. My contemporaries now is everyone making noise on the Chicago hiphop scene. Roc Marci and the pimpire crew I’m a member of.  Other than that Griselda and Trust doing they thang. Truthfully I listen to everything at least once but I really only consistently listen to my guys and people I do music with.

We find you to be one of the most ‘honest’ artists since Immortal Technique, spitting bars from the heart, but are you aiming higher than underground notoriety? 

Slightly, yes, I think. I feel like honestly is always the best policy when trying to really make people feel your lyrics. But outside of the bars I studied Kanye Wests’ ability to make great songs and I think that added to my hook making ability. I think my hook making ability might get my foot in other doors beside just underground notoriety. But let me be clear, I still want to always cater to the underground regardless of what rooms the music may get us in. I think some people make the mistake of changing up their sound on the same fanbase that propelled them to notoriety. I want to grow while remaining loyal at the same time if that makes sense? I think Kendrick and Cole are good examples of that. I just joined Roc Marci’s crew and I just finished a project with John Monopoly (Kanye West/Yeezy’s manager). So that’s the top of the underground and the top of mainstream kind of. I don’t know, I think I’m trying to do something different.  Let’s not say Mainstream let’s say infectious underground hiphop.

What’s the main message that you want fans to take from your music? 

That people aren’t just dying and going to jail in Chicago. Im giving rules and lessons on how to survive the trenches. I’m setting the pace on how to survive and thrive coming from the streets of Chicago. And even furthermore, I’m trying to be a testament to hard work paying off. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have gotten so deep in the streets. And that’s a major message in my music as well. The streets ain’t shit! At least not if you tryna live a more stress-free family life. I respect the streets but to be in them knee deep will always result in living faster and a lack of peace. My music reflects a flawed man trying to be the best version of himself. Sometimes reinvention is the best invention.

What was it like working with Billionaire Boyscout on the last two albums? What was his influence in the production process? 

The process of working with billionaire BoyScout was different than any other producer I ever worked with – no disrespect to the other producers I’m working with. He just took everything a step further. First off, we talked about the sound we were attempting to make for a year or so before recording a majority of the album. In that “discussion of sound” time period, we had about maybe 4-5 songs recorded (and one or so of those had already been released). We wanted to make a more modern hiphop sounding album. Basically hiphop with more uptempo beats and a focus on bars, story telling and catchy hooks. We wanted it to be very vulnerable and almost like a blaxploitation film over beats. Scout perfectly crafted the beats around the verses on the back end. Scout loaded my folder with beats and I went to work. Once I laid all the vocals he post produced everything. He made the beats around my verses and even added drops and sound effects. His attention to details is second to none. I feel like the album has a certain bounce to it. We ended up with 19 songs even tho we only have planned to have 8-10 originally. Once I finished all the beats in the folder it was 19. But we felt like they were all hot so it was hard to choose records. So we just kept em all to a certain extent. We released the album as a full 19 song album on the even platform direct to consumer. In this form – it’s true form – it’s called Loyalty: Birth of Super Rufus Revenge. A month later, we released the project in two parts on DSPs. Loyalty: Birth of Super Rufus (10 songs) and a week later part 2 Loyalty:Super Rufus Revenge (9 songs).

How have the ‘Loyalty’ albums been received? 

Very well. All of my contemporaries and main fans told me it’s a “classic!” My team said the same. We hot some big playlist and all the top underground hiphop dj’s played it so it did pretty decent.

Who’s been your favourite artist to work with so far? 

Jae Haze. We make music effortlessly together. We recently wrote a R&B hook for artist Murf Dilly that has Jeremih singing the chorus. Me and Haze aren’t scared to take chances other hiphop artists wouldn’t take because we both have backgrounds in other genres of rap music. But we’re hiphop dudes at heart. So we’re striving to take all the respected elements of the hiphop sound we grew up on and make it sound todays version with todays lingo and today’s culture.

Who would be the dream collaborator?

Roc Marciano, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nas. I talked to Nipsey on the phone about potentially working together, that would’ve been crazy!

The old-school hip-hop sound permeates your sound, but what do feel the future of hip hop sounds like? 

Like Loyalty. Hiphop songs with witty bars, catchy hooks and faster bpm’s sometimes. Soulful.

Are ‘copycat’ rappers spoiling the scene? (Your upbringing certainly gives you a ‘real’ perspective on shit?)

The copy cats definitely be in the way, but over time, everything comes out in the rinse. Being yourself and promoting your actual reality will always get you further in my opinion because it feels real. The fake shit sounds and looks fake to me and when if it’s good it can’t keep my attention for long because I can’t feel it. Ya feel me? (Laughs) I try to keep music as real as possible because it’s therapeutic for me. I try to tell my story without telling my business. Them copy cat dudes never last long but they do water the game down.

After mass shooting after mass shooting, should the nation ban guns or is a glack a human right? Is there a balance to be struck?

Maybe they should ban certain types of guns. The common person should be able to protect themselves, but, at the same time, it’s hard to do that and keep guns out of the wrongs peoples hands. If they ban guns then stabbings would increase. In jail shanks or knifes are the guns but nothing is as bad guns. I’m not a politician so I can’t speak on the balance. I wish I could carry but I have 4 gun cases on my record. Maybe the world would be a better place with no guns.

You’ve spoken up in the past about mental health…do you think that it’s a topic that most men have difficulty talking about? How do we change this?

As men we definitely try to hide our feelings. We change it by making therapy more acceptable or make it a way of life. Music and telling my story is really therapy for me.

You’re starting work with John Monopoly, who readers might know for his partnership with Kanye West, how’s that going? What do you hope to gain from the experience?

That’s going well. He is presenting a project by me called 2212 and he choose all the beats. His ear is amazing! I hope to gain some lifetime bonds and business partnerships. I also hope to gain more exposure and budget for the next level music that I’ve been working on with Monop. I completed the project in 2 days – 2 studio sessions – and I’m currently getting it mixed and mastered. Me and Monop also shot a video together for the single of the 2212 project. Maybe I will land on sims bigger platforms

Roc Marci has also added you as member of Pimpire, what’s it like to be recognised as an artist by one of the kings of the underground?

I’m really honoured to be a part of the Pimpire team. Roc is one of the realest people I ever met. And one of the most creative and original rappers out there. I’m just happy to have a legend vouching for me and presenting me to the world. Someone who I plan grow with and learn from. I’m loyal to bro. #pimpire

How would you say your sound has progressed since ‘Champagne and Roses’ through to the ‘Loyalty’ albums?

Champagne and black roses … now that’s a throwback but a classic for those that know. I was Weasel back then so I was doing trap and hiphop music. I was a super street dude who loved bars and lyrics so I was tryna blend the two sounds together but it wasn’t working the way I planned. It was over the streets head. The sound at the time wasn’t, but The lyrics were! I think my style evolved away from trap and more into a certain style of modern day infectious hiphop. Hiphop with catchy choruses and R&B hooks etc. Songs like Champagne and Black Roses reminds me of current day Anemic from the loyalty album. I feel like loyalty brings elements of that same type song to my newer audience. The streets always loved my heartfelt records but my current fanbase is more underground hiphop these days. I got better the feel of my records. But I’ve definitely gotten better since Champagne and Black Roses. I have way more direction in my music because not only am I better but my brand got stronger. I feel more in control of what I’m making these days. I was just starting to scratch the surface of what I could really do with Champagne and Black Roses. With Loyalty I went from scratching the surface to the outcome of putting the work and reps in.

Do Spotify numbers really mark the success of an artist or is this more a case of Swedish white guys playing musical gods? 

These are great questions by the way (Rufus laughs). I think to a certain extent Spotify numbers do matter. Only because it’s the biggest industry standard platform. So if someone has amazing YouTube numbers then it will also reflect on Spotify as well to a certain extent. But I don’t think it’s the be all and end all these days. I think the community that you build can trump the algorithm because it’s the only real thing we got in this music shit. Everything else comes with a lot of smoking mirrors.

Should artists pull out of Spotify and carve new paths and avenues to promote and sell their music or is it a devil that we have to endure? 

I think it’s a double edged sword. I think in some right you have to rock with it because it’s the biggest industry standard streaming platform with the most users, you have deal with them at some point but at the same time if you are really building community the right way, it shouldn’t be a problem to get that growing fanbase to buy and consume directly from you a once or a few times a year.

What’s next for Rufus? When’s he getting on MTV? 

Insha Allah. When God sees fit . I’m just taking everything one step, one day, and one play at a time.